How does the recession affect your job?

whipping girl in 07, RN · Mar 19, 2009

I'm in the midwest in a city/MSA of roughly 400,000. We have 2 major not-for-profit hospitals and several small or private facilities within the area. So far both big hospitals are still hiring and experiencing the nursing "shortage." A few nurses I know who'd taken jobs away from the bedside are going back because they can't get overtime at an office job. I still pick up the occasional ICU shift, but it's getting harder because everyone seems to be fighting for the OT and the staff in the unit get to work first (which is fair).

My facility just did away with the pension plan...now you have to have the 403b with hospital matching for your retirement. They are actually matching better than they were before since there's no pension (if you already have it you still get it when you retire but it's frozen at the current level).

Any executive team positions that are vacated will not be filled (although if the VP of nursing or operations or CEO or CFO left I'm sure they'd get a new one. They probably mean if the director of blahbity blah leaves then the director of whozits will take over those duties). Which kind of sucks because my boss has gone as high as she can (without getting away from her specialty) within the organization and I'd like to have her job someday. But chances are, if she leaves, her duties will be absorbed by her boss. I'm hoping the economy gets better before she decides to take off so maybe I can get her job!!

They have curtailed travel expenses, although everyone who was supposed to go somewhere on this budget year has gotten to go. Next year it will be strictly for business related, so if you go to a conference, you have to be presenting. We are working on a study so I'm hoping we'll have it completed so we can at least present the abstract or a poster so whoever is slated to go next year gets to.

They have gone ahead with all the capital improvement projects that were in the works, since that money comes out of a different endowment that's strictly for building. So you can build the new building with this money, but you can't pay the electric bill so you can use it! :banghead:

We watch our formulary carefully to get the best value on meds and tube feedings. They've changed how they stock the rooms in the units so they don't have to throw away as many supplies if a patient goes into isolation...which seems to be happening more and more!

The other hospital in town quit providing scrubs for anyone outside of sterile areas (they used to have scrubs for ER, the ICUs, respiratory therapy and cardiovascular services). I worked there PRN and that was part of my decision to quit. But they just dropped MILLIONS on a new computerized medical record system, so they can't be doing too bad, right?

Unfortunately for both major hospitals in my city, nurses are leaving right and left. I know so many nurses who are looking either to relocate for better wages or who are going back to school to get away from the bedside and make more money. Honestly, if my husband's business takes off, I'll be cutting back to part time or even quitting if we can make it without my income. I've worked like crazy the past 6 years. I'm hoping for a break one of these days!

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2009

I'm in Pittsburgh working for a major hospital. My unit (as well as all floors except for the ER and ICU's) in the hospital have been on hiring freezes since late last year. This is starting to hurt the hospital as some of these med/surg floors have lost a good number of nurses, and yet aren't being allowed to replace them. As a result, managment is turning a blind eye to staffing policies and has been trying to mandate employees more (which is against policy) The management just announced last week that they were freezing all of our salaries, so no raises this year. Oh, and about 6 months ago we laid off approximately 500 people not in "direct pt care" So yeah, this recession sucks.

kishinne · Mar 19, 2009

i do experienced the same....recession has a great impact to all of us who works..in the hospital that i workred at,the management does a little memorandum that affect us,every holidays the management used not to limit the nurses on duty so it really has a great help in our salary,but now they are manadating about limitation of staff nurse on duty during holidays they call it "skeletal" meaning every shift only two nurses will be having their duty while the others will be waiting whether they will be on call if there is case that two nurses cannot handle but if they are not being called theres no pay......how bad it is.....

NewNurse626 · Mar 19, 2009

I am a new grad that cannot find a job in the Chicago Suburbs!

We have hospitals on every corner it seems like, and I have been met with "Sorry, we are not hiring new grads"

There are few coveted full time Med-Surg positions.

There seems to be a lot of PRN/Registry positions available... ?...I check the websites EVERY day.

Still no luck :banghead:

twistedpupchaser · Mar 19, 2009

My contract expires at the end of next month, so far I have recieved letters and phone calls almost begging me to apply for a new contract. The facility I work at is constantly in bed-block or close to it. We are opening "temporary" wards at times but are low on staff. The NRC's are in a constant fight to provide enough staff to safely fill requirements. We have a programme where foreign nurses are trained to our standards in an accelerated manner to fill our vacancies.

I am not bragging, just stating what is happening here. It is not all beer and skittles, but nurses have no worries getting work here.

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2009

We are bursting at the seams. There is no room to put admitted patients and still take ER patients. There are more patients, they are sicker and we just don't have adequate room or equipment. What's the point of a cardiac monitor on a hall patient if no one can see it? (Or hear the alarm?). We are staffed well, but bedflow is at a standstill.

angiefaye · Mar 20, 2009

i was recently hired and overheard some of the nurses discussing the changes including:

no cost of living raise anymore

annual raise lowered to 2.5% from 3.5%

increase in cost of cafeteria food

decrease discount on cafeteria food

strict NO OVERTIME policy...can only clock in 6 minutes before a shift and 4 minutes after

other hospitals have been on hiring freezes in the area and are laying off management type positions.

i still feel lucky because i feel like i got in just in time. i kind of feel bad for the students in school now...because who knows what it will be like when they graduate!!

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2009

i was recently hired and overheard some of the nurses discussing the changes including:
no cost of living raise anymore
annual raise lowered to 2.5% from 3.5%
increase in cost of cafeteria food
decrease discount on cafeteria food
strict NO OVERTIME policy...can only clock in 6 minutes before a shift and 4 minutes after
other hospitals have been on hiring freezes in the area and are laying off management type positions.
i still feel lucky because i feel like i got in just in time. i kind of feel bad for the students in school now...because who knows what it will be like when they graduate!!

that no overtime policy will only work if they continue to hire people. My hospital tried to stop overtime, but didn't want to hire anyone, they had a problem.